Homelessness is a nationwide issue that affects everyone and only by working together can we tackle this concerning issue.
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This Homeless Person’s Week I implore everyone to stop and consider not only homeless Australians sleeping rough on the streets, but to think about how we can also help our invisible homeless.
Currently there are over 105,000 homeless people in Australia, 44,000 of which are under the age of 25.
One in five homeless people seeking assistance are being turned away from vital, emergency accommodation services.
In modern Australia, these statistics are alarming and there is a lot of work to be done to fix this.
People often only see homelessness as those sleeping and begging on the streets, but we need to ensure that our invisible homeless people are taken care of.
People who are forced to couch surf, sleep in cars or those who just don’t have a home to return to every night are the invisible homeless.
Now in its fourth year, our campaign #laceitup aims to bring awareness and funds to fight homelessness.
Purchasing these laces and wearing them during Homeless Person’s Week reminds us that taking off our shoes is a luxury.
Many homeless young people need to leave their shoes on in case they have to flee for safety and to stop thieves from taking their shoes.
We run programs to help these invisible homeless.
Not only is homelessness the young teenagers who sleep rough on the streets, leaving themselves vulnerable to all that surrounds them, but it is also; the three and four year olds wandering the streets at midnight as they are too frightened to go home, the babies tortured and traumatised before they turn one, the young people who are forced out of home because of brutal family violence, those who turn to families and friends until everyone has had enough, those who turn to drugs and prostitution to simply survive, and those teenagers who self-mutilate and take their own lives.
I am dedicated to helping homeless youth overcome their disadvantage and get into stable accommodation.
Youth Off The Streets offers a variety of homelessness services ranging from rapid rehousing and emergency accommodation to counselling and support so that we can ensure that young people experiencing any stage of homelessness can access our services.
Homeless Person’s Week runs from August 7 to August 13.
